How it works
Apply
Spring 2027. No experience needed.
Warm up
Free workshops and team matching.
Build
Two days with mentors and food.
Demo
Show it at the expo.
Keep going
Top teams build on for three months.
Prizes
Amounts go up as partners confirm. Each team can win one main or track prize, plus any special and partner prizes.
The Viva Prize
Best project overall. Our grand prize, a place in the Viva Fellowship, and a chance to present to health and tech leaders.
- Runner-up
- Second-best project overall
- Six track prizes
- One for each part of the body, for every member of the team
- Best Built with AI
- Most skillful use of AI
- Bedside Manner Award
- Most human design
- Second Opinion Award
- Most responsible AI
- First Hack Award
- Best first-time team
- Clinician’s Choice
- Picked by health experts
- People’s Choice
- Voted at the expo
- Best Hardware Hack
- Wearables, sensors, devices
Two days, home in between
Planned for July 2027. Exact dates are announced once the venue is signed. A draft, so times may shift.
| 8:00 AM | Check-in and breakfastPick up your badge, shirt and track pin. |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | Opening ceremonyMeet the tracks and hear the real problems our partners bring. |
| 10:00 AM | Hacking beginsTeam matching for anyone still looking. |
| 10:30 AM | WorkshopsIntro to AI tools, working with health data, and building responsibly. |
| 12:30 PM | Lunch |
| 1:30 PM | Ask a clinicianDrop-in sessions with doctors, nurses and researchers. |
| 4:00 PM | Workshop: demos that landHow to show off what you built in four minutes. |
| 6:30 PM | Dinner |
| 8:00 PM | Evening eventAnatomy trivia and a few surprises. |
| 9:30 PM | Doors closeHead home and rest. Keep building if you like. |
| 8:00 AM | Doors open and breakfast |
|---|---|
| 11:30 AM | Submissions closeCode, demo and build log in. |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch |
| 12:45 PM | ExpoJudges and visitors walk the room. Show what you built. |
| 2:30 PM | FinalsTop teams present on the main stage. |
| 3:45 PM | Awards and closing |
| 4:30 PM | Doors closeFellowship teams get started the week after. |
Questions
All questionsWhat is VivaHacks?
A free, two-day hackathon where high school students team up to build AI tools for human health. You pick a part of the body, find a real problem, and build something that helps. No experience needed.
When and where is it?
Summer 2027 in the San Francisco Bay Area. We’re planning for July and will share the exact dates and venue once they’re confirmed.
Who can come?
Any high school student during the 2026–27 school year, grades 9 to 12. Seniors who graduate that spring are still welcome.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. VivaHacks is free, including meals, snacks and swag.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. Lots of students build their first project at VivaHacks. We run beginner workshops, mentors help all weekend, and there’s a prize just for first-time teams.
Can I use AI tools to help me code?
Yes. VivaHacks is built for it. Every team gets the same AI toolkit and credits. Tell us how you used AI: judges look at how well you used it, not just whether you did.
My parents are worried. What should I tell them?
Send them our page for parents and teachers. It covers supervision, forms, food and how to reach us.
Help us print the first edition.
VivaHacks is free for every student. Partners make that possible. Tiers are still being shaped, and names appear here once they’re confirmed.
Ways to partner- One
Presenting partner
Shape the event with us. “Presented by” on everything, a keynote slot and top logo placement.
- Six
Track partner
Adopt a part of the body. Your name on a track, your brief, your judges and a table at the expo.
- Several
Builder
Run a workshop, host a table, and get your logo on the site and shirts.
- Open
Supporter
Credits, food, swag or prizes. Your logo on the site and a thank-you from us.
Applications open in spring 2027.
High school students, grades 9–12. Free. Teams of 1–4. No experience needed.
The sign-up form goes live soon.